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Indonesia Widens Search for Valencian Family Missing After Komodo Boat Sinking

Officials cite powerful waves from severe weather as the likely cause.

Overview

  • Rescue teams plan to expand the search zone on Monday after three days of operations yielded only life jackets and wooden debris.
  • Father Fernando Martín and three children remain missing, while mother Andrea Ortuño and her daughter were rescued at sea.
  • Captain Lukman reports the four missing were in a lower cabin that flooded quickly, whereas those in an upper cabin reached a lifeboat.
  • Indonesia’s BMKG attributes the sinking to intense waves tied to adverse weather around Christmas, with rough seas slowing the search despite a brief lull Sunday.
  • The wooden KML Putri Sakinah, about 22 meters long with five cabins, had 11 people aboard en route from Komodo to Padar; four crew members and a tour guide were also rescued.